Bob Ross Joy Of Painting Full Episodes

Rank
Publicity photo of Ross at his easel
Born	October 29, 1942 Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Died	July 4, 1995 (aged 52)
Occupation	Painter art instructor television host
Years active	1981–1994
Spouse(s)	Jane Ross (m. 1977; died 1992)
Children	2
Military career
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1961–1981
Website	bobross.com

The official YouTube channel of 'The Joy of Painting' and Bob Ross. Watch and paint along with every episode of The Joy of Painting! Happy painting! The entire run of Bob Ross - The Joy of Painting consists of 403 half-hour-length episodes across 31 seasons. The program is available in English or subtitles for Spanish-fluent viewers. Other than the titular host, The Joy of Painting would occasionally feature Ross' longtime friend and collaborator, Dana Jester, or his son Steven. Jan 10, 2017 I remember watching Bob Ross back in the late 80's and really wanted to learn to paint like Bob. When I saw The Joy of Painting was on Amazon I was excited and watched all the episodes. I then asked for Bob Ross painting supplies for Christmas and got everything I needed to start. I'm now experiencing the joy of painting.

Robert Norman Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States, and also aired in Canada, Latin America, and Europe. Ross went from being a public television personality in the 1980s and 1990s to being an Internet celebrity in the 21st century, becoming popular with fans on YouTube, Twitch, and many other websites many years after his death.^[1]^[2]^[3]

1Early life
2Career as a painter
6Legacy

Early life

Ross was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, to Jack and Ollie Ross (a Cherokeecarpenter and a waitress, respectively), and raised in Orlando, Florida.^[4]^[5] As a child, Ross entertained himself by caring for injured animals, purportedly including an armadillo, snake, and alligator. One of these animals, a squirrel named Peapod (full nickname 'Peapod The Pocket Squirrel'), was featured most prominently in a few episodes of his show. Another squirrel, one with epilepsy Bob called 'Squirrely Wirrelly Brown' (which was given 6 months to live by a veterinarian but Bob talked about her 4 to 5 years after getting her) was also on the show less frequently (she was usually kept at home in Ross' basement in a big cage next to where she'd watch him paint).^[5]^[4] He had a half-brother, Jim, whom he mentioned in passing on his show.^[6] Ross dropped out of high school in the 9th grade to work as a carpenter with his father, Jack Ross, when he lost part of his left index finger. This, however, did not affect the way he held his palette while painting.^[7]^:22

Military career

In 1961, 18-year-old Ross enlisted in the United States Air Force and was put into service as a medical records technician.^[7]^:15 He eventually rose to the rank of master sergeant and served as the first sergeant of the U.S. Air Force Clinic at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska,^[8]^[9] where he first saw the snow and mountains that later became recurring themes in his artwork. He developed his quick-painting technique to create art for sale during brief daily work breaks.^[9] Having held military positions that required him to be, in his own words, 'tough' and 'mean', 'the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being late to work', Ross decided that if he ever left the military, he would never yell or raise his voice again.^[9]

Career as a painter

During his 20-year tenure with the U.S. Air Force, Ross developed a taste for painting after attending an art class at the Anchorage U.S.O. club. He found himself frequently at odds with many of his painting instructors, who were more interested in abstract painting. In Ross' own words: 'They'd tell you what makes a tree, but they wouldn't tell you how to paint a tree.'^{[citation needed]}

Ross was working as a part-time bartender when he discovered a TV show called The Magic of Oil Painting, hosted by German painter Bill Alexander.^[7]^:17–18 Alexander touted a 16th-century style of painting called 'alla prima' (Italian for 'first attempt'), better known as 'wet-on-wet', that allowed him to finish a painting in a little under 30 minutes. Ross studied and became quite good at alla prima through Alexander's show, and began selling Alaskan landscapes painted on the inside of novelty gold-mining pans.^[5]^[9] Eventually, Ross's income from gold pan sales surpassed his military salary. He retired from the Air Force in 1981 with the rank of Master Sergeant after 20 years of service.^[5]^[10]^[8]^[11]

He first went to Florida and studied painting under Alexander, then joined the 'Alexander Magic Art Supplies Company' and became a traveling salesman and tutor. Annette Kowalski, who had attended one of his sessions, became convinced that there was a great opportunity for Ross to succeed on his own, and persuaded him to do so. She invested her life savings in the company, as did Ross and his wife. The business struggled at first; his permed hairstyle came about as a cost-cutting measure, when his regular crewcut haircuts became too expensive. Ross grew increasingly uncomfortable with the style in his later years, but kept it throughout his career (he worried that changing it would hurt the brand, as his silhouette including the perm had become part of the production company's logo).^[10]^[7]^:19

The origins of the TV show, The Joy of Painting, are unclear.^[10] It was filmed at the studio of the PBS station WIPB in Muncie, Indiana.^[12]

The show ran from January 11, 1983 to May 17, 1994, but reruns still continue to appear in many broadcast areas and countries, including the non-commercial digital subchannel network Create. During each half-hour segment, Ross would instruct viewers in oil painting using a quick-study technique from the imagination that used a limited palette of paints and broke down the process into simple steps. Art critic Mira Schor compared him to Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, noting that Ross' soft voice and the slow pace of his speech were similar.^[13]

With help from Annette and Walt Kowalski, Ross built a $15 million business, Bob Ross Inc., selling his line of art supplies and how-to books, and marketing painting classes taught by instructors trained in the 'Bob Ross method'.^[14] All of his income, he said, was derived from those sources;^[9] the show was intended to be a vehicle to promote his classes and products.^[5] Following Ross' death, ownership of Bob Ross Inc. was passed to the Kowalskis.^[15]

Ross also filmed wildlife, squirrels in particular, usually in his garden, and he would often take in injured or abandoned squirrels and other animals. Small animals often appeared on his Joy of Painting canvasses.^[9]

Technique

Ross used the wet-on-wetoil painting technique, in which the painter continues adding paint on top of still-wet paint rather than waiting a lengthy amount of time to allow each layer of paint to dry. From the beginning, the program kept the selection of tools and colors simple so that viewers would not have to make large investments in expensive equipment. Ross frequently recommended odorless paint thinner (aka odorless mineral spirits) for brush cleaning. Combining the wet painting method with the use of large one- and two-inch brushes, as well as painting knives, allowed Ross to paint trees, clouds, mountains, and water in a matter of seconds. Each painting would start with simple strokes that appeared as nothing more than smudges of color. As he added more and more strokes, the blotches would transform into intricate landscapes.^[14]^[16]

Ross painted three versions of almost every painting featured on his show. The first was painted prior to taping, and sat on an easel, off-camera, during filming, where Ross used it as a reference to create the second copy—the one viewers actually watched him paint. After filming the episode, Ross painted a more detailed version for inclusion in his instructional books.^[17] The different versions were marked as follows on the side or back of the canvas: 'Kowalski' for the initial version, 'tv' for the version painted during the TV show, and 'book' for the book version.^[15]

Influences

Ross dedicated the first episode of the second season of The Joy of Painting to Bill Alexander, explaining that 'years ago, Bill taught me this fantastic [wet-on-wet] technique, and I feel as though he gave me a precious gift, and I'd like to share that gift with you [the viewer].'^[18] As Ross's popularity grew, his relationship with Alexander became increasingly strained. 'He betrayed me,' Alexander told The New York Times in 1991. 'I invented 'wet on wet', I trained him, and ... he thinks he can do it better.'^[19] Art historians have pointed out that the 'wet-on-wet' (or alla prima) technique actually originated in Flanders during the 15th century, and was used by Frans Hals, Diego Velázquez, Caravaggio, Paul Cezanne, John Singer Sargent, and Claude Monet, among many others.^[20]^[21]

Style

Ross was well known for the catchphrases he used while painting such as 'happy little trees'.^[22] In most episodes of The Joy of Painting, Ross would note that one of his favorite parts of painting was cleaning the brush. Specifically, he was fond of his method of drying off a brush that he had dipped in odorless thinner by striking it against the can of thinner (then striking a box for early seasons, and a trash can on later seasons). Occasionally he would strike the brush hard on the trash can saying he 'hit the bucket' and then on the easel. He would smile and often laugh aloud as he said to 'beat the Devil out of it'.^[23] He also used a palette that had been lightly sanded down, which was necessary to avoid catching the reflections of the strong studio lighting.^[24]

Ross wore clothes that he believed would be a 'timeless look' (jeans and a button-down shirt). He also used a minimalist set and spoke as if he were only addressing one viewer.^[5]

When asked about his laid-back approach, and his calm and contented demeanor, he commented,

I got a letter from somebody here a while back, and they said, 'Bob, everything in your world seems to be happy.' That's for sure. That's why I paint. It's because I can create the kind of world that I want, and I can make this world as happy as I want it. Shoot, if you want bad stuff, watch the news.^[25]

The landscapes he painted—typically mountains, lakes, snow, and log cabin scenes—were strongly influenced by his years living in Alaska, where he was stationed for the majority of his Air Force career. He repeatedly stated on the show his belief that everyone had inherent artistic talent and could become an accomplished artist given time, practice, and encouragement, and to this end was often fond of saying, 'We don't make mistakes; we just have happy accidents.'^[26] In 2014, the blog FiveThirtyEight conducted a statistical analysis of the 381 episodes in which Ross painted live, concluding that 91 percent of Ross' paintings contained at least one tree, 44 percent included clouds, 39 percent included mountains and 34 percent included mountain lakes. By his own estimation, Ross completed more than 30,000 paintings in his lifetime.^[27] His works rarely contained any human subjects or signs of human habitation; while he would include cabins on some paintings, he left the cabin's chimney without any signs of smoke, indicating the cabin was unoccupied.^[15]

Other media appearances

Ross was fond of country music, and in 1987 he was invited on stage by Hank Snow at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. The audience gave him a huge ovation; he was slightly nervous at first, but felt better after cracking a joke to the crowd. Snow was later given a private painting lesson by Ross.^[28]

Ross visited New York City to promote his hardcover book, The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross,^[29] and painting techniques to a studio audience several times. One visit in 1989 he appeared on The Joan Rivers Show. He returned in 1992 for a live show with hosts Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford. There was one in 1994, when Phil Donahue, who watched his videos and loved his painting technique, invited him to the show to promote his work. Ross took five audience members on-stage to do a painting and even Phil himself did a painting and showed it in that episode.

In the early 1990s, Ross did several MTV promotional spots that, according to the American City Business Journals, 'dovetailed perfectly with Generation X's burgeoning obsession with all things ironic and retro.'^[30]

Personal life

Ross had one son, Steven Ross, with his first wife, Vivian Ridge. Steven, also a talented painter, occasionally appeared on The Joy of Painting and became a Ross-certified instructor.^[11] Steven appeared on camera in the last episode of Season 1, in which he read a series of general 'how-to' questions sent in by viewers during the season, and Bob answered them one at a time, technique by technique, until he had completed an entire painting.

Ross and Ridge's marriage ended in divorce in 1977. Ross and his second wife, Jane, had a son Morgan.^[11] In 1992, Jane died of cancer. In 1995, two months before his death, Ross married for a third time to Lynda Brown.^[31]

Ross was very secretive about his life and had a great liking for privacy, with only a tight circle of friends. Some of only a few interviews with his close-knit circle of friends and his family can be found in the 2011 PBS documentary Bob Ross: The Happy Painter.^[10] His company, Bob Ross Inc., is protective of his intellectual property and his privacy to this day.^[5]^[10]

Death

Ross died at the age of 52 on July 4, 1995, due to complications from lymphoma, which he had battled for several years.^[11]^[32] His remains are interred at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Gotha, Florida, under a plaque marked: 'Bob Ross; Television Artist'.^[33]^[34] Ross kept his diagnosis a secret from the general public, and his lymphoma was not known outside of his circle of family and friends until after his death.^[5]^[10]

Bob Ross T-shirts at Spencers in Washington State

Legacy

Ross' likeness has become part of the popular culture, with his image spoofed in shows, films, and video games like Family Guy,^[35]The Boondocks,^[36]Deadpool 2,^[37] and Smite.^[38]

Google celebrated the 70th anniversary of his birth with a Google Doodle on October 29, 2012. It portrayed Ross painting a depiction of the letter 'g' with a landscape in the background.^[39]^[40] A board game titled Bob Ross: The Art of Chill was released and carried by Target Stores,^[41] while a Chia Pet model in Bob Ross's likeness was also released.^[42] At one point Ross was going to have his own video game to be released on Wii, the Nintendo DS, and PC, with development handled by AGFRAG Entertainment Group,^[43]^[44] although this never came to fruition.

Newfound interest in Ross occurred in 2015. As part of the launch of Twitch Creative, Twitch.tv hosted a nine-day marathon of Bob Ross' The Joy of Painting series which started on October 29, 2015 in commemoration of what would have been his 73rd birthday.^[45]^[46]^[47] Twitch reported that 5.6 million viewers watched the marathon and, due to its popularity, created a weekly rebroadcast with one season of The Joy of Painting to air on Twitch each Monday. A portion of the advertising revenue has been promised to charities, including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.^[48]

In June 2016, Ross' series Beauty Is Everywhere was added to the Netflix lineup. The 30-minute episodes are taken from seasons 20, 21 and 22 of the original The Joy of Painting series.^[49]^[50] The newfound interested surprised the Kowalskis, since they were managing Ross's image and The Joy of Painting episodes. They created a YouTube channel for Ross which gained over one million subscribers within a year.^[15]

The renewed interest in Ross also led to questions of where his paintings were located, given that it was estimated over 1,000 works were created for The Joy of Painting. In an investigative report by The New York Times, the Kowalskis affirmed that they still held all of his paintings, though without the proper care generally needed to store art. Prompted by numerous letters from fans of Ross, the Smithsonian American Art Museum contacted the Kowalskis and offered to take a selection of Ross' paintings, along with other items from the show, to place on exhibit at the Museum.^[15]

ASMR

The Twitch streams created a new interest in Bob Ross from the younger generation, and caused his popularity to grow.^[15] His videos became popular with devotees of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR).^[12] ASMR refers to a euphoric feeling, which can be experienced in a variety of ways; triggers can be aural, touch-based or both.^[51] 'He's sort of the godfather of ASMR', says Joan Kowalski, the president of Bob Ross Inc. 'People were into Bob Ross for ASMR reasons before there was ASMR.'^[51] Other examples of sounds that trigger ASMR are the gentle touch of a make-up brush, the comb across the scalp, and the crinkles of newsprint.^[51]

References

^'Bob Ross Was an Internet Celebrity Before the Internet'. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
^Editors, Biography.com (August 4, 2016). 'Bob Ross Biography'. The Biography.com website. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
^Perez, Sarah. 'After Pulling In 5.6M Viewers, Twitch Is Keeping Bob Ross On The Air'. TechCrunch. Verizon Media. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
^ ^a^b'Bob Ross, Television's Favorite Artist'. Bob Ross Incorporated. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^g^hCongdon, Kristin G.; Blandy, Doug; Coeyman, Danny (April 21, 2014). Happy Clouds, Happy Trees: The Bob Ross Phenomenon. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN9781626740990.
^Schenck, Sally (director) (April 19, 2008). 'Home Before Nightfall'. The Joy of Painting. Season 28. Episode 13. 2:48 minutes in. PBS.
^ ^a^b^c^dCongdon, Kristin; Blandy, Doug; Coeyman, Danny (2014). Happy Clouds, Happy Trees: The Bob Ross Phenomenon. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN1617039950.
^ ^a^b'Before they were famous, Airman edition'. U.S. Air Force Live. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^fLinda, Shrieves (July 7, 1990). 'Bob Ross uses his brush to spread paint and joy'. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f'The Surprisingly Mysterious Life of Famed Artist Bob Ross'. Today I Found Out. September 17, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
^ ^a^b^c^d'Bob Ross 52, Dies; was a painter on TV'. The New York Times. July 13, 1995. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
^ ^a^bKloc, Joe (October 1, 2014). 'The Soothing Sounds of Bob Ross'. Newsweek.
^Schor, Mira (1997). Wet: on painting, feminism, and art culture. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 176. ISBN0-8223-1915-2.
^ ^a^bStanley, Alessandra (December 22, 1991). 'Bob Ross, the Frugal Gourmet of Painting'. The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^fBuchanan, Larry; Byrd, Aaron; DeSantis, Alicia; Rhyne, Emily (July 12, 2019). 'Where Are All the Bob Ross Paintings? We Found Them'. The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
^Thill, Scott (September 5, 2008). 'Annuals + Bob Ross = Such Fun'. Wired. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
^'What Happened to Bob Ross' Paintings?'. July 16, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
^The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross: Meadow Lake, season 2, episode November 1, 1983
^Stanley, A. (December 22, 1991). Bob Ross, the Frugal Gourmet of Painting. New York Times archive, retrieved December 24, 2015.
^Taubes, F. Mastery of Alla Prima Painting. F&W Pub.(1980), pp. 22-4. ISBN0891340297.
^Gury, A. (2009) Alla Prima: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Direct Painting. Watson-Guptill, p. 16. ISBN0823098346.
^Pegley, Kip (2008). Coming to wherever you are: MuchMusic, MTV, and youth identities. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press. p. 41. ISBN0-8195-6870-8.
^Brooks, Katherine (November 10, 2014). 'Here Is Bob Ross Beating Paint Brushes For Over Three Minutes. You're Welcome'. The Huffington Post.
^'Haven in the Valley'. Beauty is Everywhere. Season 1. Episode 26. Event occurs at 18:30. Netflix.
^Season 15, Episode 12, Forest Lake. YouTube. The Joy of Painting.
^Bennett, Kaylen (2005). Rick Benzel (ed.). Inspiring Creativity: An Anthology of Powerful Insights And Practical Ideas to Guide You to Successful Creating. Playa del Rey: Creativity Coaching Assoc. Press. p. 48. ISBN0-9767371-0-8.
^Rife, Katie (April 16, 2014). 'Study the happy little numbers with a statistical analysis of Bob Ross' Joy Of Painting'. The A.V. Club.
^Patrick Wensink (March 30, 2015). '23 Happy Little Bob Ross Facts Most Viewers Never Knew'. RealClear. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
^Bob Ross; Annette Kowalski (1989) The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, W. Morrow, NY ISBN978-0-68809-246-7
^Harris, Scott (February 9, 2009) 'Happy accidents and the legacy of Bob Ross'. American City Business Journals
^'Bob Ross, 52, Dies; Was Painter on TV'. The New York Times. 1995.
^Linda, Shrieves (July 8, 1995). 'Painter Bob Ross Dies At 52'. Orlando Sentinel.
^Congdon, Kristin G.; Blandy, Doug; Coeyman, Danny (April 21, 2014). 'Happy Clouds, Happy Trees: The Bob Ross Phenomenon'. Univ. Press of Mississippi – via Google Books.
^Morfit, Cameron (November 18, 2001). 'The Mellow, and Undying, Magic of Happy Little Trees'. The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
^Haque, Ahsan (June 15, 2009). 'Family Guy Flashback: '15 Minutes of Shame' Review'. PC Review. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
^'Bob Ross: 13 Happy Little Facts About the Iconic PBS Painter'. Biography. October 28, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
^Thuy Ong (November 17, 2017). 'Watch Deadpool paint and shoot things in the new teaser trailer'. The Verge.
^'Bob Ross is coming to Smite as a happy little Sylvanus skin'. pcgamer. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
^Albanesius, Chloe (October 29, 2012). 'Bob Ross Paints 'Happy Little Trees' for Google Doodle'. PC Magazine. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
^Driscoll, Molly, 'Bob Ross: How did he get so mellow? (+video)', Christian Science Monitor, October 29, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
^Dawn, Randee. 'Target is selling a Bob Ross board game and it looks delightful'. Today. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
^'There Is A Bob Ross Chia Pet And I Am Crying Happy Little Tears'. BuzzFeed. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
^Surette, Tim. 'Wii, DS, PC Bob Ross game dries up?'. Gamespot. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
^Totilo, Stephan. 'Video game based on bob ross' 'joy of painting' in the works'. MTV. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
^Leopold, Todd (October 29, 2015). 'Bob Ross Marathon Underway on Twitch TV'. CNN.com. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
^Machkovech, Sam (October 29, 2015). 'Twitch launches 'Creative' category, eight-day Bob Ross Painting marathon'. Arstechnica. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
^'Bob Ross channel on twitch.tv'. The Joy of Painting Marathon - Celebrating the official launch of Twitch Creative! #painting #oilpaint #bobross. October 29, 2015.
^Porter, Matt (November 9, 2015). '5.6 Million People Watched Bob Ross's Twitch Marathon'. IGN. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
^Hayley Cuccinello Entertainment Writer, The Huffington Post (June 2, 2016). 'You Can Relax Now, Because Netflix Is Streaming Bob Ross'. The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
^Hughes, William. 'Painting guru Bob Ross is on Netflix now, so there's your weekend'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
^ ^a^b^cSchonfeld, Zach. 'This is you brain on nothing'. Press Reader.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Bob Ross

External video
July 26, 2012. 'Bob Ross Remixed – Happy Little Clouds.' on YouTubePublic Broadcasting Service Digital Studios.

Bob Ross at Find a Grave
Bob Ross's channel on YouTube
Bob Ross on IMDb
Bob Ross on Twitch.tv

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bob_Ross&oldid=918176519'

The Joy of Painting
Starring	Bob Ross
Opening theme	Interlude by Larry Owens
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	31
No. of episodes	403 (13 episodes per season)
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Distributor	Interregional Program Service/American Program Service^[1]
Release
Original network	PBS
Original release	January 11, 1983 – May 17, 1994
Chronology
Related shows	The Magic of Oil Painting
External links
Website

The Joy of Painting is an American half-hour instructional television show hosted by painter Bob Ross which ran from January 11, 1983, until May 17, 1994. In each episode, Ross taught techniques for landscape oil painting, completing a painting in each session. The program followed the same format as its predecessor, The Magic of Oil Painting, hosted by Ross' mentor Bill Alexander. During its run, it won three Emmy Awards.^{[citation needed]}

3Episodes

Production[edit]

The show was produced by a non-commercial, public television station. The first season aired in 1983, and initially it was produced by WNVC in Falls Church, Virginia. Later it was produced by WIPB in Muncie, Indiana, from 1984 until the show ended in 1994, and later by Blue Ridge Public Television in Roanoke, Virginia. Most of the series was distributed by what is now American Public Television. Reruns continued to air in syndication in the United States under the title The Best of The Joy of Painting, featuring a collection of Bob Ross's favorite paintings from past seasons.

Format[edit]

Each 30-minute show usually begins with Ross (or a guest) standing in front of a blank canvas against a white or black background. Guests included Ross's long-time friend Dana Jester,^[2]^[3] along with Ross's son Steve,^[4] his old instructor John Thamm, and many others.^[5] Within the 30-minute program, Ross graphically ran the colors across the screen (this was not done in the first season, with Ross instead going it over on his palette on-screen), as he turned the blank canvas into an imaginary landscape, using the wet-on-wet oil painting technique, in which the painter continues adding paint on top of still-wet paint rather than waiting for each layer of paint to dry. Combining this method with the use of two-inch and other types of brushes, as well as painting knives, allowed him to paint trees, water, clouds, and mountains in a matter of seconds.

Each painting would start with simple strokes that appeared to be nothing more than the smudges of color. As he added more and more strokes, the blotches transformed into intricate landscapes.^[6] As he painted, he instructed viewers regarding the techniques he was using, he added comments describing the 'happy little clouds' and 'happy little trees' that he was creating. He would also have home video footage of himself with a baby squirrel, deer, raccoon, as well as another small animal. Each program was shot in real time with two cameras: a medium shot of Ross and his canvas, and a close-up shot of the canvas or palette. At the end of each episode, Ross was known for saying something akin to, 'So from all of us here, I'd like to wish you happy painting, and God bless, my friend', and then, the credits roll over a shot of the day's painting, with the show's theme song being heard.

Ross created three versions of each painting for each episode of the show. The first, painted prior to filming, sat on an easel, off-camera, and was used by Ross as a template to create the second copy—the one viewers actually watched him paint. After filming the episode, Ross painted a third, more detailed version for inclusion in his instructional books.^[7] All three versions were then donated to various PBS stations, the Smithsonian Institution, or kept by Bob Ross, Inc.^[8]^[9]

Episodes[edit]

Season 1 (1983)[edit]

The first season of The Joy of Painting was mostly aired on PBS stations across the East Coast; as a result, the initial audience was small. Season 1 is the only season that played background music as Ross was painting, and was the only season not produced at WIPB in Muncie, Indiana, it instead being produced at WNVC in Falls Church, Virginia.

'A Walk in the Woods' (January 11, 1983)
'Mount McKinley' (January 11, 1983)
'Ebony Sunset' (January 18, 1983)
'Winter Mist' (January 25, 1983)
'Quiet Stream' (February 1, 1983)
'Winter Moon' (February 8, 1983)
'Autumn Mountains' (February 15, 1983)
'Peaceful Valley' (February 22, 1983)
'Seascape' (March 1, 1983)
'Mountain Lake' (March 8, 1983)
'Winter Glow' (March 15, 1983)
'Snowfall' (March 22, 1983)
'Final Reflections' (March 29, 1983)

Season 2 (1983)[edit]

Now with a national audience, The Joy of Painting was produced by WIPB in Muncie, Indiana. WIPB continued producing The Joy of Painting until the show's ending in 1994.^{[citation needed]}

'Meadow Lake' (August 31, 1983)
'Winter Sun' (September 7, 1983)
'Ebony Sea' (September 14, 1983)
'Shades of Gray' (September 21, 1983)
'Autumn Splendor' (September 28, 1983)
'Black River' (October 5, 1983)
'Brown Mountain' (October 12, 1983)
'Reflections' (October 19, 1983)
'Black & White Seascape' (October 26, 1983)
'Lazy River' (November 2, 1983)
'Black Waterfall' (November 9, 1983)
'Mountain Waterfall' (November 16, 1983)
'Final Grace' (November 23, 1983)

Season 3 (1984)[edit]

'Mountain Retreat' (January 4, 1984)
'Blue Moon' (January 11, 1984)
'Bubbling Stream' (January 18, 1984)
'Winter Night' (January 25, 1984)
'Distant Hills' (February 1, 1984)
'Covered Bridge' (February 8, 1984)
'Quiet Inlet' (February 15, 1984)
'Night Light' (February 22, 1984)
'The Old Mill' (March 1, 1984)
'Campfire' (March 8, 1984)
'Rustic Barn' (March 15, 1984)
'Hidden Lake' (March 22, 1984)
'Peaceful Waters' (March 29, 1984)

Season 4 (1984)[edit]

'Purple Splendor' (September 5, 1984)
'Tranquil Valley' (September 12, 1984)
'Majestic Mountains' (September 19, 1984)
'Winter Sawscape' (September 26, 1984)
'Evening Seascape' (October 3, 1984)
'Warm Summer Day' (October 10, 1984)
'Cabin in the Woods' (October 17, 1984)
'Wetlands' (October 24, 1984)
'Cool Waters' (October 31, 1984)
'Quiet Woods' (November 7, 1984)
'Northwest Majesty' (November 14, 1984)
'Autumn Days' (November 21, 1984)
'Mountain Challenge' (November 28, 1984)

Season 5 (1985)[edit]

'Mountain Waterfall' (January 2, 1985)
'Twilight Meadow' (January 9, 1985)
'Mountain Blossoms' (January 16, 1985)
'Winter Stillness' (January 23, 1985)
'Quiet Pond' (January 30, 1985)
'Ocean Sunrise' (February 6, 1985)
'Bubbling Brook' (February 13, 1985)
'Arizona Splendor' (February 20, 1985)
'Anatomy of a Wave' (February 27, 1985)
'The Windmill' (March 6, 1985)
'Autumn Glory' (March 13, 1985)
'Indian Girl' (March 20, 1985)
'Meadow Stream' (March 27, 1985)

Season 6 (1985)[edit]

'Blue River' (May 1, 1985)
'Nature's Edge' (May 8, 1985)
'Morning Mist' (May 15, 1985)
'Whispering Stream' (May 22, 1985)
'Secluded Forest' (May 29, 1985)
'Snow Trail' (June 5, 1985)
'Arctic Beauty' (June 12, 1985)
'Horizons West' (June 19, 1985)
'High Chateau' (June 26, 1985)
'Country Life' (July 2, 1985)
'Western Expanse' (July 9, 1985)
'Marshlands' (July 16, 1985)
'Blaze of Color' (July 23, 1985)

Season 7 (1985)[edit]

'Winter Cabin' (October 2, 1985)
'Secluded Lake' (October 9, 1985)
'Evergreen at Sunset' (October 16, 1985)
'Mountain Cabin' (October 23, 1985)
'Portrait of Sally' (October 30, 1985)
'Misty Waterfall' (November 6, 1985)
'Barn at Sunset' (November 13, 1985)
'Mountain Splendor' (November 20, 1985)
'Lake by Mountain' (November 27, 1985)
'Mountain Glory' (December 6, 1985)
'Grey Winter' (December 13, 1985)
'Dock Scene' (December 20, 1985)
'Dark Waterfall' (December 27, 1985)

Season 8 (1986)[edit]

'Misty Rolling Hills' (January 2, 1986)
'Lakeside Cabin' (January 9, 1986)
'Warm Winter Day' (January 16, 1986)
'Waterside Way' (January 23, 1986)
'Hunter's Haven' (January 30, 1986)
'Bubbling Mountain' (February 6, 1986)
'Winter Hideaway' (February 13, 1986)
'Foot of the Mountain' (February 20, 1986)
'Majestic Pine' (February 27, 1986)
'Cactus at Sunset' (March 6, 1986)
'Mountain Range' (March 13, 1986)
'Lonely Retreat' (March 20, 1986)
'Northern Lights' (March 27, 1986)

Season 9 (1986)[edit]

'Winter Evergreens' (April 30, 1986)
'Surf's Up' (May 7, 1986)
'Red Sunset' (May 14, 1986)
'Meadow Road' (May 21, 1986)
'Winter Oval' (May 28, 1986)
'Secluded Beach' (June 4, 1986)
'Forest Hills' (June 11, 1986)
'Little House by the Road' (June 18, 1986)
'Mountain Pass' (June 25, 1986)
'Country Charm' (July 2, 1986)
'Nature's Paradise' (July 9, 1986)
'Mountain by the Sea' (July 16, 1986)
'Mountain Hideaway' (July 23, 1986)

Season 10 (1986)[edit]

'Towering Peaks' (September 3, 1986)
'Cabin at Sunset' (September 10, 1986)
'Twin Falls' (September 17, 1986)
'Secluded Bridge' (September 24, 1986)
'Ocean Breeze' (October 1, 1986)
'Autumn Woods' (October 8, 1986)
'Winter Solitude' (October 15, 1986)
'Golden Sunset' (October 22, 1986)
'Mountain Oval' (October 29, 1986)
'Ocean Sunset' (November 5, 1986)
'Triple View' (November 12, 1986)
'Winter Frost' (November 19, 1986)
'Lakeside Cabin' (November 26, 1986)

Season 11 (1986–1987)[edit]

'Mountain Stream' (December 31, 1986)
'Country Cabin' (January 7, 1987)
'Daisy Delight' (January 14, 1987)
'Hidden Stream' (January 21, 1987)
'Towering Glacier' (January 28, 1987)
'Oval Barn' (February 4, 1987)
'Lakeside Path' (February 11, 1987)
'Sunset Oval' (February 18, 1987)
'Winter Barn' (February 25, 1987)
'Sunset Over the Waves' (March 4, 1987)
'Golden Glow' (March 11, 1987)
'Roadside Barn' (March 18, 1987)
'Happy Accident' (March 25, 1987)

Season 12 (1987)[edit]

'Golden Knoll' (April 29, 1987)
'Mountain Reflections' (May 6, 1987)
'Secluded Mountain' (May 13, 1987)
'Bright Autumn Trees' (May 20, 1987)
'Black Seascape' (May 27, 1987)
'Steep Mountains' (June 3, 1987)
'Quiet Mountain River' (June 10, 1987)
'Evening Waterfall' (June 17, 1987)
'Tropical Seascape' (June 24, 1987)
'Mountain at Sunset' (July 1, 1987)
'Soft Mountain Glow' (July 8, 1987)
'Mountain in an Oval' (July 15, 1987)
'Winter Mountain' (July 22, 1987)

Season 13 (1987)[edit]

'Rolling Hills' (September 2, 1987)
'Frozen Solitude' (September 9, 1987)
'Meadow Brook' (September 16, 1987)
'Evening Sunset' (September 23, 1987)
'Mountain View' (September 30, 1987)
'Hidden Creek' (October 7, 1987)
'Peaceful Haven' (October 14, 1987)
'Mountain Exhibition' (October 21, 1987)
'Emerald Waters' (October 28, 1987)
'Mountain Summit' (November 4, 1987)
'Cabin Hideaway' (November 11, 1987)
'Oval Essence' (November 18, 1987)
'Lost Lake' (November 25, 1987)

Season 14 (1987–1988)[edit]

'Distant Mountains' (December 30, 1987)
'Meadow Brook Surprise' (January 6, 1988)
'Mountain Moonlight Oval' (January 13, 1988)
'Snowy Solitude' (January 20, 1988)
'Mountain River' (January 27, 1988)
'Graceful Mountains' (February 3, 1988)
'Windy Waves' (February 10, 1988)
'On a Clear Day' (February 17, 1988)
'Riverside Escape Oval' (February 24, 1988)
'Surprising Falls' (March 2, 1988)
'Shadow Pond' (March 9, 1988)
'Misty Forest' (March 16, 1988)
'Natural Wonder' (March 23, 1988)

Season 15 (1988)[edit]

'Splendor of Winter' (April 27, 1988)
'Colors of Nature' (May 4, 1988)
'Grandpa's Barn' (May 11, 1988)
'Peaceful Reflections' (May 18, 1988)
'Hidden Winter Moon Oval' (May 25, 1988)
'Waves of Wonder' (June 1, 1988)
'Cabin by the Pond' (June 8, 1988)
'Fall Stream' (June 15, 1988)
'Christmas Eve Snow' (June 22, 1988)
'Forest Dawn Oval' (June 29, 1988)
'Pathway to Autumn' (July 6, 1988)
'Deep Forest Lake' (July 13, 1988)
'Peaks of Majesty' (July 20, 1988)

Season 16 (1988)[edit]

'Two Seasons' (August 17, 1988)
'Nestled Cabin' (August 24, 1988)
'Wintertime Discovery' (August 31, 1988)
'Mountain Mirage' (September 7, 1988)
'Double Oval Fantasy' (September 14, 1988)
'Contemplative Lady' (September 21, 1988)
'Deep Woods' (September 28, 1988)
'High Tide' (October 5, 1988)
'Barn in Snow Oval' (October 12, 1988)
'That Time of Year' (October 19, 1988)
'Waterfall Wonder' (October 26, 1988)
'Mighty Mountain Lake' (November 2, 1988)
'Wooded Stream Oval' (November 9, 1988)

Season 17 (1989)[edit]

'Golden Mist Oval' (January 4, 1989)
'Old Place Home' (January 11, 1989)
'Soothing Vista' (January 18, 1989)
'Stormy Seas' (January 25, 1989)
'Country Time' (February 1, 1989)
'A Mild Winter's Day' (February 8, 1989)
'Spectacular Waterfall' (February 15, 1989)
'View From the Park' (February 22, 1989)
'Lake View' (March 1, 1989)
'Old Country Mill' (March 8, 1989)
'Morning Walk' (March 15, 1989)
'Nature's Splendor' (March 22, 1989)
'Mountain Beauty' (March 29, 1989)

Season 18 (1989)[edit]

'Half Oval Vignette' (July 5, 1989)
'Absolutely Autumn' (July 12, 1989)
'Mountain Seclusion' (July 19, 1989)
'Crimson Oval' (July 26, 1989)
'Autumn Exhibition' (August 2, 1989)
'Majestic Peaks' (August 9, 1989)
'Golden Morning Mist' (August 16, 1989)
'Winter Lace' (August 23, 1989)
'Seascape Fantasy' (August 30, 1989)
'Double Oval Stream' (September 6, 1989)
'Enchanted Forest' (September 13, 1989)
'Southwest Serenity' (September 20, 1989)
'Rippling Waters' (September 27, 1989)

Season 19 (1990)[edit]

'Snowfall Magic' (January 3, 1990)
'Quiet Mountain Lake' (January 10, 1990)
'Final Embers of Sunlight' (January 17, 1990)
'Snowy Morn' (January 24, 1990)
'Camper's Haven' (January 31, 1990)
'Waterfall in the Woods' (February 7, 1990)
'Covered Bridge Oval' (February 14, 1990)
'Scenic Seclusion' (February 21, 1990)
'Ebb Tide' (February 28, 1990)
'After the Rain' (March 7, 1990)
'Winter Elegance' (March 14, 1990)
'Evening's Peace' (March 21, 1990)
'Valley of Tranquility' (March 28, 1990)

Season 20 (1990)[edit]

'Mystic Mountain' (April 4, 1990)
'New Day's Dawn' (April 11, 1990)
'Pastel Winter' (April 18, 1990)
'Hazy Day' (April 25, 1990)
'Divine Elegance' (May 2, 1990)
'Cliffside' (May 9, 1990)
'Autumn Fantasy' (May 16, 1990)
'Old Oak Tree' (May 23, 1990)
'Winter Paradise' (May 30, 1990)
'Days Gone By' (June 6, 1990)
'Change of Seasons' (June 13, 1990)
'Hidden Delight' (June 20, 1990)
'Double Take' (June 27, 1990)

Season 21 (1990)[edit]

'Valley View' (September 5, 1990)
'Tranquil Dawn' (September 12, 1990)
'Royal Majesty' (September 19, 1990)
'Serenity' (September 26, 1990)
'Cabin at Trial's End' (October 3, 1990)
'Mountain Rhapsody' (October 10, 1990)
'Wilderness Cabin' (October 17, 1990)
'By the Sea' (October 24, 1990)
'Indian Summer' (October 31, 1990)
'Blue Winter' (November 7, 1990)
'Desert Glow' (November 14, 1990)
'Lone Mountain' (November 21, 1990)
'Florida's Glory' (November 28, 1990)

Season 22 (1991)[edit]

'Autumn Images' (January 1, 1991)
'Hint of Springtime' (January 8, 1991)
'Around the Bend' (January 15, 1991)
'Countryside Oval' (January 22, 1991)
'Russet Winter' (January 29, 1991)
'Purple Haze' (February 5, 1991)
'Dimensions' (February 12, 1991)
'Deep Wilderness Home' (February 19, 1991)
'Haven in the Valley' (February 26, 1991)
'Wintertime Blues' (March 5, 1991)
'Pastel Seascape' (March 12, 1991)
'Country Creek' (March 19, 1991)
'Silent Forest' (March 26, 1991)

Season 23 (1991)[edit]

'Frosty Winter Morn' (September 3, 1991)
'Forest Edge' (September 10, 1991)
'Mountain Ridge Lake' (September 17, 1991)
'Reflections of Gold' (September 24, 1991)
'Quiet Cove' (October 1, 1991)
'River's Peace' (October 8, 1991)
'At Dawn's Light' (October 15, 1991)
'Valley Waterfall' (October 22, 1991)
'Toward Day's End' (October 29, 1991)
'Falls in the Glen' (November 5, 1991)
'Frozen Beauty in Vignette' (November 12, 1991)
'Crimson Tide' (November 19, 1991)
'Winter Bliss' (November 26, 1991)

Season 24 (1992)[edit]

'Grey Mountain' (January 7, 1992)
'Wayside Pond' (January 14, 1992)
'Teton Winter' (January 21, 1992)
'Little Home in the Meadow' (January 28, 1992)
'Pretty Autumn Day' (February 4, 1992)
'Mirrored Images' (February 11, 1992)
'Back-Country Path' (February 18, 1992)
'Graceful Waterfall' (February 25, 1992)
'Icy Lake' (March 3, 1992)
'Rowboat on the Beach' (March 10, 1992)
'Portrait of Winter' (March 17, 1992)
'Footbridge' (March 24, 1992)
'Snowbound Cabin' (March 31, 1992)

Season 25 (1992)[edit]

'Hide-a-Way Cove' (August 25, 1992)
'Enchanted Falls Oval' (September 1, 1992)
'Not Quite Spring' (September 8, 1992)
'Splashes of Autumn' (September 15, 1992)
'Summer in the Mountains' (September 22, 1992)
'Oriental Falls' (September 29, 1992)
'Autumn Palette' (October 6, 1992)
'Cypress Swamp' (October 13, 1992)
'Downstream View' (October 20, 1992)
'Just Before the Storm' (October 27, 1992)
'Fisherman's Paradise' (November 3, 1992)
'Desert Hues' (November 10, 1992)
'The Property Line' (November 17, 1992)

Season 26 (1992–1993)[edit]

'In the Stillness of Morning' (December 1, 1992)
'Delightful Meadow Home' (December 8, 1992)
'First Snow' (December 15, 1992)
'Lake in the Valley' (December 22, 1992)
'A Trace of Spring' (December 29, 1992)
'An Arctic Winter Day' (January 5, 1993)
'Snow Birch' (January 12, 1993)
'Early Autumn' (January 19, 1993)
'Tranquil Wooded Stream' (January 26, 1993)
'Purple Mountain Range' (February 2, 1993)
'Storm's a Comin' (February 9, 1993)
'Sunset Aglow' (February 16, 1993)
'Evening at the Falls' (February 23, 1993)

Season 27 (1993)[edit]

'Twilight Beauty' (March 2, 1993)
'Angler's Haven' (March 9, 1993)
'Rustic Winter Woods' (March 16, 1993)
'Wilderness Falls' (March 23, 1993)
'Winter at the Farm' (March 30, 1993)
'Daisies at Dawn' (April 6, 1993)
'A Spectacular View' (April 13, 1993)
'Daybreak' (April 20, 1993)
'Island Paradise' (April 27, 1993)
'Sunlight in the Shadows' (May 4, 1993)
'Splendor of a Snowy Winter' (May 11, 1993)
'Forest River' (May 18, 1993)
'Golden Glow of Morning' (May 20, 1993)

Season 28 (1993)[edit]

'Fisherman's Trail' (May 25, 1993)
'A Warm Winter' (June 1, 1993)
'Under Pastel Skies' (June 8, 1993)
'Golden Rays of Sunlight' (June 15, 1993)
'The Magic of Fall' (June 22, 1993)
'Glacier Lake' (June 29, 1993)
'The Old Weathered Barn' (July 6, 1993)
'Deep Forest Falls' (July 13, 1993)
'Winter's Grace' (July 20, 1993)
'Splendor of Autumn' (July 27, 1993)
'Tranquil Seas' (August 3, 1993)
'Mountain Serenity' (August 10, 1993)
'Home Before Nightfall' (August 17, 1993)

Season 29 (1993)[edit]

'Island in the Wilderness' (August 24, 1993)
'Autumn Oval' (August 31, 1993)
'Seasonal Progression' (September 7, 1993)
'Light at the Summit' (September 14, 1993)
'Countryside Barn' (September 21, 1993)
'Mountain Lake Falls' (September 28, 1993)
'Cypress Creek' (October 5, 1993)
'Trapper's Cabin' (October 12, 1993)
'Storm on the Horizon' (October 19, 1993)
'Pot O' Posies' (October 26, 1993)
'A Perfect Winter Day' (November 2, 1993)
'Aurora's Dance' (November 9, 1993)
'Woodsman's Retreat' (November 16, 1993)

Season 30 (1993–1994)[edit]

'Babbling Brook' (November 23, 1993)
'Woodgrain View' (November 30, 1993)
'Winter's Peace' (December 7, 1993)
'Wilderness Trail' (December 14, 1993)
'A Copper Winter' (December 21, 1993)
'Misty Foothills' (December 28, 1993)
'Through the Window' (January 4, 1994)
'Home in the Valley' (January 11, 1994)
'Mountains of Grace' (January 18, 1994)
'Seaside Harmony' (January 25, 1994)
'A Cold Spring Day' (February 1, 1994)
'Evening's Glow' (February 8, 1994)
'Blue Ridge Falls' (February 15, 1994)

Season 31 (1994)[edit]

The 31st and final season of The Joy of Painting aired on PBS in 1994, before the death of Bob Ross on July 4, 1995.

'Reflections of Calm' (February 22, 1994)
'Before the Snowfall' (March 1, 1994)
'Winding Stream' (March 8, 1994)
'Tranquility Cove' (March 15, 1994)
'Cabin in the Hollow' (March 22, 1994)
'View From Clear Creek' (March 29, 1994)
'Bridge to Autumn' (April 5, 1994)
'Trail's End' (April 12, 1994)
'Evergreen Valley' (April 19, 1994)
'Balmy Beach' (April 26, 1994)
'Lake at the Ridge' (May 3, 1994)
'In the Midst of Winter' (May 10, 1994)
'Wilderness Day' (May 17, 1994)

Legacy[edit]

In 1993, Ross made TV commercials for MTV.

In 1994, Bob Ross appeared on Bill Nye the Science Guy, where he did a self-parody segment entitled 'The Artistic Eye with Bob Ross'.

As part of its launch of Twitch Creative, Twitch.tv streamed every episode of The Joy of Painting over a nine-day period starting on October 29, 2015, what would have been Ross' 73rd birthday.^[10]^[11]^[12] Twitch reported that 5.6 million viewers watched the marathon, and due to its popularity, created a weekly rebroadcast of all 31 seasons of The Joy of Painting to air on Twitch each Monday from November 2015 onward, and will have a marathon of episodes each October 29. A portion of the advertising revenue has been promised to charities, including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.^[13] This event was also repeated on October 29, 2016, for his 74th birthday.^[14]

In 2015, all 403 episodes of The Joy of Painting were added to the official Bob Ross YouTube channel.^[15]In June 2016, Netflix repackaged several 1991–1992 episodes of The Joy of Painting under the moniker Beauty Is Everywhere.^[16] A second package of episodes titled Chill with Bob Ross was added in December.

In November 2017, the first teaser trailer for the 2018 film Deadpool 2 was released, featuring a parody of The Joy of Painting.^[17]